


Heart and Soul in the Stars

by loisselina (LoisSelina)



Series: The Script [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, one shots, please send me prompts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2020-03-17 19:41:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18971752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoisSelina/pseuds/loisselina
Summary: A series of oneshots following 'I'll Leave the door on the Latch'.Focusing mainly on the relationships of the family.





	1. No Air

David sat on the staircase lacing up his sneakers, waiting for Jake to bound down the stairs, inevitably telling David to hurry up as though the child had been the one waiting. 

He stood up as he heard feet descending the staircase, but when he turned around and looked up he realised that it wasn’t just Jake coming down the stairs, but Emma too. She would often wake up early, nowadays, but she would normally watch cartoons or play with some toys (which she didn’t admit to doing) or she’d go and wake Snow or Ben to keep her company. But it was unusual for her to be dressed to do any of those things, let alone in shorts and a tshirt hoodie along with sneakers she had obviously slipped on in a hurry as they were still undone. He reached his arms out to catch her as she nearly fell down the stairs. 

“I’m coming running too.” She announced to him with a big smile. 

David’s eyebrows flickered down into a frown for a half a second, he glanced to Jake who shrugged clearly he had nothing to do with it, he looked back at his daughter giving her a sympathetic smile. “Em, sweetie, why don’t you stay here, it’s early and Jakey and I run a really far way, if you still want to run later I’ll take you and Benny to the beach, okay?” 

“No!” Emma whined her foot colliding with stair, her dad gave her a look but she was too frustrated to be ashamed or embarrassed. Instead she just looked at her father imploringly. “I wanna go with you and Jakey.” 

“Emma.” David sighed deeply. He looked over at Jake. 

“I don’t mind Em coming too.” 

David wished Jake had insisted on having this time with just him, Emma had been sick a month ago and while she had made a full recovery the memory of her unconscious in a hospital bed would haunt him forever. But Jake acted like an older brother to Emma since she showed up, helping her adjust to the changes in the town, year, and her life, and he was just a kind big brother to her than he was to Ben. But right now David wished that Jake was a bit more selfish, if only to appease David’s own worries about his daughter. He sighed again. “Okay, but we’re not going to be running as far or as fast. Jake go grab us all a granola bar to have before our run, we can have breakfast laster.” He watched Jake dash off and stopped Emma from following him. “Sit down.” She did as she was told and he knelt in front of her, doing up her laces.

“Thanks Daddy.” 

“No problem sunshine.” He helped her stand back up. “You need to take it easy, no going too fast, it wasn’t that long ago you were sick, if you need to take a break or a drink you let me know, okay?” 

“I’ll be fine.” 

“ _ Emma? _ ”

“Okay.” She agreed. 

She and Jake wolfed down their granola bar and David led them out of the house, leaving a note for Snow to let him know that he had two of the three kids with him. 

 

* * *

 

 

He led his kids down the trail from their house which led into the forest, it was the route he and Jake often went on, but David was going to cut it in half for Emma’s sake, he knew that she was always full of energy, and perhaps this run would help, but he was taking it easy her first time out. 

 

He found himself chuckling as he jogged beside his kids, Jake kept pace, he was a swimmer and jogged in the same steady way he swam warm up lengths, Emma reminding David of a bee, she kept darting ahead and falling back, before darting ahead or behind once more. 

David chatted to Jake as they jogged together, the boy was chattering about school, books he was desperate to buy, his friends, and his upcoming swim meet, and David happily asked him questions, he loved being able to be so involved with his sons’ lives, his father had never bothered to be in his before he had died, and he had missed out on so much of Emma’s that he was determined to play an active role in his sons, and his daughter’s now that she was back. 

“Can we still go to the beach later?”Jake asked his father, sending him a grin; for the most part Jake was like his mother, but he had inherited his eyes, his protective nature, and his smile from his father. “Me and Ben and Emma can have a sandcastle building competition.”

There were few things he loved more than the fact that his kids got along with each other so well. “I don’t see why not. What do you think Em, you wanna-” he turned back to look at Emma but his smile dropped when he realised that Emma was a little way back, stood still, but hunched other. “EMMA!” He quickly turned direction and shot back as fast as he could, Jake hot on his heels. 

“Emmy!” Jakes eyes were on his sister as their father tried to get her to look at him. He could see Emma’s entire body moving as she panted. “Dad she can’t breathe!” 

He knew that Jake was correct but he didn’t know why. “Were we going too fast? Did you get winded?” 

Emma shook her head but that was all she could do, she was trying to suck in air through her mouth but she couldn’t get enough, her chest felt like it had a hundred elastic bands wrapped around it, squeezing it tight. 

“O-Okay.” David frowned he didn’t understand. He pulled his backpack off and handed it to Jake. “Jakey find a drink in there for your sister for me.” He carefully took hold of Emma and helped her to the ground. She tried to slump down but he placed his hand on her back. “Keep sat up straight Emma.” He told her firmly, he still had no idea what was happening but he had been around men and women on battlefields who couldn’t breathe, he had a vague idea of how to help, but it  _ was _ only a vague  _ idea _ . “You’re going to copy my breathing, okay, nice and slow, just copy me.” He made sure that his own breathing was slow and steady, as calm as possible but exaggerated so that Emma could see him doing so, as he did he told her when to breathe in and out. 

Jake passed the bottle of juice to his father, he bit his lip as he watched his sister sip the juice but it was clear that she was struggling to breathe. “D-Dad…?”

“Yeah bud?” David asked but he kept his eyes on Emma. “Hey, slower breathing, Em, just a bit slower.” 

“We, me and Ben, we found an inhaler in her bag when she moved in, like Nick in my class has… is she having an asthma attack?”

David’s head snapped up to look at his son before looking looking back at his daughter wearily. “Emma Ruth, do you have asthma?”

Emma looked away from him, giving him an answer. She shrank in on herself when he practically growled her name, out of frustration, she had never really thought about tell them, and hadn’t planned on unless she needed to… apparently that had been a bad plan. 

Asthma, why hadn’t he thought about asthma before? Why had Emma never told him she had it? Had she told Snow when his wife was cursed? He was so mad at her keeping this to herself, she  _ must  _ know how dangerous it was was.  He couldn’t think about that right now. “Okay, okay,” He reassured both himself and his kids, “okay, Jakey get my phone out of my backpack, I need you to ring 911, tell them where we are, say that your sister’s having an asthma attack, Emma I need you to stay nice and calm, we’re going to try and breathe slow again, in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Just copy me, kiddo.” 

As David tried his best to keep his head and to keep his breathing steady and helping Emma to try and control her breathing. He could also hear that Jake was worrying, on the phone 911, he reached over to squeeze his hand, trying to comfort both of his kids at the same time. 

It wasn’t long before the ambulance was so close that David could hear it. He finally took his eyes off of Emma. “Jakey, you remember your way back home from here, don’t you?” 

“Yeah, it’s just straight back down the trail.” 

“Good boy, I need you to run back home, if mom’s not up then wake her up and tell her what’s happened with your sister, that I’m going to the hospital with her. Can you do that for me?”

“I can do that.” Jake agreed quickly, he wasn’t really one to kick up a fuss anyway, but he could tell how scared his sister was, and he had a feeling that his dad was pretty scared too. “Feel better Emmy.” He offered to his sister, he handed back his father’s backpack to him, before taking off at full speed back down the path which led to their family home. 

  
  


* * *

 

 

The ambulance ride had passed in a blur for Emma, she felt exhausted, despite having been running for about 10 minutes and having woken up feeling fine. In the ambulance she tried her best to stay awake but only because she kept being told to do so by the paramedic. There was a oxygen mask over her face obstructing her view every time her eyes blinked shut she opened them fast to try and tried taking her mask off to find her father, she kept being stopped from doing it and David’s voice would reassure her that he was there.

 

* * *

 

 

The oxygen helped a lot, she was already feeling better by the time she got to the hospital but the mask was kept on as tests were performed on her. Her dad kept soothing her but other than that he was quiet, not quite his usual self, not that Emma was alert enough to realise this. 

 

* * *

 

 

“I’m looking for my daughter, Emma, she came in with my husband-.”

“Snow!” 

Snow’s head snapped away from the nurses’ station to her husband who was walking towards her. She smiled at the nurse she had been about to asked then allowed herself to show her true worried face to her husband. “How is she?”

“She’s a lot better, they gave her oxygen in the ambulance and a nebuliser here to help her with her breathing, as well as some steroids which she nearly threw up taking. When you were cursed, the first time when you were living in the lost with Em, did she mention having asthma?”

Snow’s lips set in a thin line as they always did when she was truly angry. “No. The first I heard of it was when Jake ran home and told me about it.” 

“If he hadn’t known about her old inhaler…” He shook his head in frustration. “I would have still brought her here but not so quickly, anything could have happened in that time. I can’t believe she’d be so, so stupid.” 

“Me neither.” She shook her own head as she tried not to storm over, to the curtained area David had come from, and read her daughter the riot act. 

David took her hand and gently squeezed it as he looked down at her. “Trust me, I’m beyond mad at her too, but let’s wait to talk to her about it until she’s fully better, it’s not like she’ll be leaving our sights for a while anyway, she’ll be safe.”

“I agree. We’ll stress how dangerous her not telling us was and how we’re disappointed.”

David nodded his head. He let out a sigh. “I was just hoping that she was finally over this sort of thing. She’s been doing so well recently. It’s like two steps forward, one step back.” 

Snow squeezed his hand. “That’s still one step forward.”

The corners of David’s lips tugged up into a small smile. He had been married to his wife for nearly 20 years yet her hope and positive attitude still took him by surprise every now and again. “You’re right. We should get back over to her before she takes it upon herself to find us. I think she’ll be sent home soon, the medicine worked, they were just waiting for the treatment to finish and a doctor to check her over. We’re over here.” He tilted his head towards the closed curtains then led his wife in the same direction.

 

* * *

 

 

As soon as Snow saw Emma her anger melted away, temporarily at least, she wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her as tight as she dared. They stayed like that until the doctor came over to unhook her from the mask and check her over. 

“Can I go home now?” 

Her begging the second the mask came off made David and Snow laugh a little, they were relieved that she was still in fairly good spirits, even if she wasn’t yet completely back to her old self. 

“You’re not moving from here until the doctor tells us you can, baby, so hush so we can hear what she has to say.” 

The doctor bit back a smile. “Well by the looks of it Emma is ready to go home, I’ll prescribe new inhalers for you and steroid tablets, eight twice a day for two weeks, once you’ve finished them it’s important you come back for a checkup, we need to make sure that your asthma is well managed so that this doesn’t occur again.”

“Thank you so much.” 

“You’re grounded to the couch until you’re completely better.” David wrapped his arm around his daughter cuddling her into his side. 

“By our standards better.” Snow added signing one of Emma’s forms to discharge her. 

“That means I’m never getting off the couch.” 

David shrugged. “Shame.” He smirked then dropped a kiss onto her head.

“You can watch movies.” Snow suggested, Emma being on the couch forever sounded good to her right about then, at least Snow would know where she was and that she was safe.

Emma was about to mumble about them being overprotective, or hover-parents, but she remembered how David looked and sounded when he found out about her asthma, she decided to stay quiet and just cuddle into his side. 

  
  
  



	2. The sound of silence.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David's quiet and Emma's sure he's about to kick her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the brilliant feedback on the last chapter!

Emma led in her bed waiting to drop off to sleep, her bedside lamp was still on, she hated sleeping in the dark it reminded her too much of her apartment back in Boston. Despite having the dimmed light Emma couldn’t sleep. She had been recovering from her asthma attack for the past two weeks, she had felt a lot better after a week, but her parents had been in full hover-parent mode and she had been relegated to the couch during the day, under at least one of their eagle eyed watch.

She didn’t mind that, not really, what she didn’t like one bit was the fact that her dad was mad, well both of her parents were, but her dad was mad in a way that Emma could not cope with - David was the quiet sort of mad. The staring at her when he thought she didn’t realise, the slamming of doors, the noise of angry washing up and cleaning after watching her take her medicine. 

Emma had seen all types of mad: loud mad, eruptive mad, physical mad, abusive mad, but despite all of this, quiet mad was the worst of all. Quiet mad meant having to walk around on eggshells, it meant waiting for the worst to happen, to be hurt or to be kicked out. 

Emma was one hundred percent certain that her father wouldn’t physically hurt her, never intentionally anyway, but Emma was waiting for what she deemed was inevitable wherever she went: she had pushed it too far and she was going to be kicked out. She wasn’t sure if David had convinced her mom to kick her out yet, or even that he was aware that he was going to kick her out. But it was going to happen. 

She had gone to bed early, partially because her mom and dad had insisted that she needed the rest, partially to try and escape the unspoken anger. She led in her bed listening to Ben be put to bed, then Jake going to bed, an hour later she heard her mom telling Jake to put his book down and get some sleep, her back was to her bedroom door when her mom opened her door to make sure that Emma was still there, as her parents were prone to doing. She listened to her parents go to bed a little later, and yet she still couldn’t sleep. 

Eventually the time on her clock hit three and she gave up on trying to sleep. 

She grabbed her blanket and headed out of her room, she tiptoed down the corridor and the stairs and into the silent living room. 

 

She thought about opening the curtains up, the sea beyond their house would be too dark to see, but she would have been able to see the stars. But she just wasn’t in the mood to watch them. She curled up on the sectional couch, she grabbed the remote she didn’t have the concentration to watch anything, but it would be good to have background noise. 

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


David Charming could not sleep. He led in his bed, his wife was curled into his side, snoring gently. It was dark and late and he should be fast asleep, but he led there in the dark listening to the quiet ticking of the alarm clock. He had retreated into himself recently, he had tried not to but it had been a habit since he was young, and that was hard to break. The truth was he was absolutely terrified. His daughter was sick, she could have died, and he and his wife wouldn’t have known why she hadn’t been able to breathe. 

He let out a sigh. He was trying his best to ignore the worry, he knew about her asthma now, he and Snow were constantly carrying inhalers, and there were more all around the house, the boys knew, Henry knew, Regina and Neal knew, there were very few who didn’t know, they had informed them all about what an asthma or panic attack looked like and what to do… yet his brain was still stuck on the ‘what ifs’ and he couldn’t get past that worry. They hadn’t even been able to talk properly and seriously to Emma about it yet, they were so worried that if they did it might make her stressed, triggering her asthma. 

He looked at the clock, glowing faintly in the darkness, it was nearly four in the morning. He sighed again. He may as well get up and have a coffee or something.

He grabbed a sweatshirt and pulled it over his head it was early summer and it was often warm during the day, but it was still early and there was a chill in the air.

 

* * *

 

 

As he headed down the stairs he heard voices coming from the living room. He looked around the hallway, he knew he had a gun upstairs but he didn’t want to use it and he didn’t want to lead an intruder upstairs to his family, but Ben’s wooden swords were leaning against the staircase. He quickly snatched one up.

He inched closer to the living room, ready to attack with the wooden sword if need be, there was a glow in the room, and someone moving… on the couch….

“Shit!” He gasped. “Emma! I thought you were an intruder!” 

Emma’s eyes were wide as she saw her dad holding the wooden sword, it was one she and Ben played with, but in David’s well trained hands it looked like a dangerous weapon. “I’m not.” She said redundantly. 

“Yeah.” He sighed. He leant the sword against the fireplace and crossed his arms over his chest, he looked down at his daughter with a furrowed brow. “What are you doing up?” He reached his hand down and placed it on her forehead checking her temperature. There wasn’t a fever. “Did you have a bad dream?” She shook her head no. He frowned, he looked at the screen and saw it was one of the movies that she and Ben had been into watching recently, one Ben had been begging to watch when it was his bedtime. He looked back at his daughter with a frown. “Did you wake up to watch a movie Emma Ruth?” 

“No…. No I just…” 

“Emma we told you that you need sleep, you shouldn’t be waking up just to watch movies-” 

“-I’m sorry.” 

David cut himself off frowning at his daughter. The way she said it… it sounded so sad and so sincere, it didn’t make sense, not that she would apologise about this, but the way… “Emma-?”

“I’m sorry Daddy, I, I went too far, I pushed it too far not telling you about my asthma, I’m really really sorry, p-please,” tears were rolling down her cheeks, “please don’t kick me out.”

David’s mouth fell open. She was so broken and scared. How could she think that? Ever. “Why would…? Emma we lost you for  _ years  _ why the hell would we ever kick you out? Why would…?” He shook his head wordlessly. He didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t even understand why she would think what she was thinking. He looked down at Emma who looked so sad and scared, but she also looked, he wasn’t sure, expecting it, perhaps. He sat on the couch beside her and pulled her onto his lap, into his arms, as easily as he could do the same to Ben. 

“P-Please-.” Emma hiccuped, still begging to be allowed to stay even through her tears, even as her dad held her in his arms. 

“Shhhh, sh, sh, shhhh. It’s okay. It’s okay baby.” He cradled her head with his hand as he always did when he cuddled her close. He pressed a kiss to head. “It’s okay, you’re not leaving Em, we’d never kick you out,  _ never _ . You’re our daughter, our baby, this is your home. Parents don’t kick their kids out, even if they’ve been keeping secrets. We wouldn’t be able losing you again Emmy.” He held her close and let her cry against him, he rocked her a little as he did, trying his best to soothe and comfort her. 

Emma cried until she ran out of tears and she just leant against her father, her face hidden against David’s now damp Boston University sweatshirt.

David wanted to keep Emma cuddled as close to him as possible, but he knew that he needed to talk to her, he knew that he needed to do it now, all this might have been avoided if he and Snow had had their serious talk with her sooner. He gently pulled her away from him just enough that he could see her. 

“Emma, we need to talk, don’t we? But before we do, I need you to know that me and your mommy love you more than you will ever know, and you will _never_ _ever_ be kicked out from here, you can live with us forever, in fact I insist on that.” He tried to joke but Emma’s smile was so small that the effort for the joke didn’t seem worth it. “Why did you think that I was going to kick you out Emma?” 

Emma hesitated. “You were mad.”

“I-I wasn’t mad.” 

“Not loud mad. Quiet mad. That’s worse.” 

“Sweetie I haven’t been mad, I promise you, I’ve been very worried, that’s why I’ve been a bit quiet, but I haven’t been mad at you. I promise.” He smiled gently as she cuddled closer to him once again, she must believe him, he squeezed her and kissed the top of her wild curls. He allowed her to stay cuddled up to him for a while but eventually he knew he needed to ask her some more questions. “Em, princess? Can you tell me why quiet mad’s worse?” 

Emma didn’t speak for a minute, not because she didn’t want to tell him, but because she was trying to think about how to turn the feelings that went with that quiet mad into words. “Loud mad’s better, not  _ better _ better, but it’s …  _ easier _ . I know what will happen when, I can hide, or run, or just prepare somehow. But the quiet mad is worse, I never know when the other foot’s gonna drop, I just know that I always get kicked out after it.” 

David shook his head gently. “That’s not fair, it’s not fair that you had to go through that, both the loud and quiet anger, you shouldn’t have had to learn all the signs to keep yourself safe before you lived here with us, before you moved in with your mom. And it’s not right that you were kicked out. Ever.” He held her close to him, her familiar smell helped to dissipate his anger, that and the fact that it was unlikely the people who hurt his child were around still let alone that he would ever meet any of them. As he cuddled her he also tried to think about how he could help avoid this happening again. “I have a problem, when I’m worried, I get quiet and retreat into myself, I have since I was a kid, I won’t be doing that anymore, I promise I’ll try my best not to go quiet when I’m worried. I don’t want you to get scared, if you find me being quiet without me realising then talk to me about it, or tell mommy and she’ll talk to me. I don’t want you to be scared in our home, with our family, I don’t want you to be scared anywhere. That sound good?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Good.”

“I’m sorry I made you worried.” 

David had planned to talk to her about her asthma and how dangerous it could be, how deadly, but now didn’t seem like the right time. “You’re forgiven, just don’t lie or keep things about your health from us again, it’s dangerous and you’ll give me gray hair which I’m much too young for.” 

“You’re not that young anymore.” Emma mumbled through a yawn.

“I look barely a day over 40 I’ll have you know!” He feigned offence. “I think it’s time to go to bed, sunshine, you’re nearly falling asleep here.”

“No!” She shook her head despite her father’s words being true. “I mean, maybe we could just watch this movie?” 

David was going to insist that she needed to rest up so she could heal but he realised, just in time, that Emma was cuddled close to him and that this was the first time she had done so since he had gone quiet. “I guess we might as well watch the end of the movie.” He moved himself and his daughter so he was reclined on the couch, he grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and covered himself and his daughter with it. 

  
  
  


* * *

 

 

Curled into her dad’s chest Emma was fast asleep within 10 minutes, David drifting off not long after, the two were still fast asleep a few hours later when Snow came down stairs in search of her husband and breakfast, not necessarily in that order.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Send me any prompts for this fic and I'll try and get it written up asap!


	3. The Glow of the Candles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While David's away Snow has to deal with Emma's nightmare by herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your reviews and prompts they're amazing keep them coming! 
> 
> This is a prompt by Once123<3 :D

_ ‘It’s always better when we’re together.  _ _   
_ _ Yeah, we’ll look at the stars when we’re together. _ _   
_ __ We’ll it’s always better when we’re together-.’

Snow dropped her washing up gloves into the sink in her hurry to grab her phone, it was playing her and David’s song, she knew it could only be her husband. She pressed the button and David’s easy going smile appeared on her screen. 

“Hey beautiful.” 

“Hey Charming.”

“I miss you so much.” 

“I miss you too, I can’t believe we used to be separated for longer than this, this day’s lasted forever.”

“Tell me about it. These meetings …. I just wish I was home with you and the kids.” 

“When are you coming home, the kids and I have eaten dinner but I can whip you something up?”

“Here’s the thing…”

“...David?” 

On the small screen David grimaced. “The meetings aren’t over yet, they won’t be for a few hours, and as it’s a long drive back to Storybrooke the King decided to give us all rooms in the castle for the night.”    
He let out a small sigh when he saw the disappointment creep onto her face despite her trying not to show it. He understood, he felt the same, he wished more than anything that he was there with his wife and his kids.   
“I’ll be back in the morning… I wish I could be home with you guys, I swear Regina made me go because I didn’t notice her haircut, she’s still evil I swear.”

Snow let a small laugh escape from her lips. She smiled lovingly at him. “She sent you because you’re the best and bravest knight to ever live, and she knows that you’ll be able to help them establish a fairer law enforcement, I’m sure we’ll survive one night without you.” 

“You’re so sweet. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. And the kids.” He paused for a second. “Speaking of, they must be in a far away room because for once it’s quiet where you are.” 

Snow laughed. “Yeah I told them they could watch a movie while they ate desert if they ate all their veggies.” 

“I’m guessing that was mostly a bribe for Emma,” he chuckled, “because the boys actually like healthy food.” 

Snow laughed with him and her smile was proud when she told her husband “Luckily Emma didn’t catch on.” The two talked for a little while, they had missed each other, but they knew that David had to be getting back to his meetings soon. 

Snow walked into the living and picked up the remote pausing the movie, she gained a mixture of “Mom!” and “Mommy!”’s from her three kids in complaint for disrupting their movie she rolled her eyes and heard her husband chuckle on the phone. “I can turn the movie back on if you’d rather watch it than talk to your dad…” She laughed as her kids quickly changed their tune and were happy to talk to their father, she passed her phone to Emma who was sat in the middle of the three kids, she left the kids to talk to their dad, she just wished that David could tell them that he was about to head home, she knew how disappointed the kids would be to not have their father there to read them a bedtime story.

  
  


* * *

  
  


 

The evening felt much longer than it was when David was home, Snow watched another movie with her kids, who were all clearly upset that David wasn’t there, the truth was Snow didn’t know how to make them feel better. 

She came out of the bathroom ready to corral her kids into their respective beds but when she looked in all of their rooms she couldn’t see them. She frowned, not knowing where her kids were was worrying for an obvious reason, and because her kids had her and Charming’s genes, trouble seemed to be attracted to them all quite strongly. 

She heard voices coming from her own bedroom, she gently pushed open the door and saw all three of them cuddled together on the big bed. Jake was in the centre, a book was open in his hands, he looked up sheepishly when he noticed his mom in the doorway. “Dad left the book he was reading us in here… but I didn’t want to read it, only dad does it right, but I thought I could read Ben and Emma a different one.” 

Snow smiled lovingly at him. “That’s a fantastic idea Jake.” She moved onto the bed pulling Ben onto her lap, cuddling her youngest close, and wrapping her other arm around Jake and Emma as she did.

  
  


* * *

 

 

Eventually they were all clearly tired, both Emma and Ben were nearly falling asleep, so Snow shepherd them all to bed. 

She missed her husband but she quite enjoyed the evening spent relaxing in the bath, with a glass of wine, watching a rom-com on her tablet. She read a book downstairs before finally heading upstairs to her own bed, she shot of a message to her husband telling him she loved him and that she was heading to bed. 

She peeked into Jake’s room. He still had his lamp on and there was a book resting on his chest. Snow smiled, he had always loved books so much, she and David would often have to remind Jake not to read late or go in to tell him it was time to finally go to sleep. She walked into his room and moved his book from his chest, she put in a bookmark and placed it on his bedside table, she tucked a blanket over him and pressed a kiss on his forehead. She flicked off his lamp and gently closed the door behind her. 

She went into Ben’s bedroom next, he had fallen asleep as soon as his head had hit the pillow. She realised now, in the light of his bedside night light, that his teddy had fallen out of his bed. She knew that if he woke up and it was gone he might be sad. She picked the teddy up and tucked it and her youngest son under the covers, she kissed his forehead too. 

She headed into Emma’s bedroom last but the sight that met her wasn’t nearly as peaceful as the other kids’. Snow rushed over seeing Emma nearly falling out of the bed and whimpering in distress. She stood so that Emma couldn’t fall out and gently shook her shoulder. “Emma, Emma baby, you need to wake up, you’re having a nightmare.” She felt her heart break a little when Emma woke with a start and looked around clearly terrified. “Hey, sweeties it’s okay, you’re safe.”

“Mommy?” Emma’s voice came out as a whimper as she looked around the dark room, the furniture was casting weirdly shaped shadows around her room which she was having trouble remembering were only shadows. 

“Yeah sweetheart, it’s me, it’s okay you’re safe, you just had a nightmare.” She pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, she cupped her cheek as she looked down at her in concern. She waited to see if she would drop off again, like Ben used to when he had nightmares, but she stayed awake and staring around her room with wide eyes. “How about you and me go downstairs and get some hot chocolate, yeah?” 

“O-Okay.” She nodded her head and took her mom’s hand when it was held out to her. 

  
  


* * *

 

 

 

Emma sat on a stool in the kitchen watching as her mom moved around the kitchen grabbing the ingredients.

Snow started to chop up the chocolate humming a song quietly as she did so.  She looked up to see Emma looking around and frowning. “Emma?” 

“... Is daddy home yet?” 

Snow sent her a sympathetic smile and reached across the counter to gently squeezed Emma’s hand. “Not yet, baby, but he’ll be home tomorrow, probably before lunch.” She watched Emma carefully and realised that she didn’t look fully convinced. “Hey,” She soothed, “Emma sweetheart, daddy will be coming home, I promise. I know he wishes he was home right now. You know that he wants to be home, don’t you?”

Emma hesitated but nodded. “Mmhm.”

Snow added the chocolate, cream, milk, and a little cinnamon into a pot on the stove. Before branching a related subject with Emma. “Is, Is daddy being gone part of your nightmare?”

“Kinda… it was like Coraline.”

Snow frowned, she hadn’t thought that the movie was appropriate, but David had assured her that it was a kids movie and that all of  _ their _ kids would be okay with it. She’d have to tell him she was right later. 

“You and daddy had the button eyes, and Jakey and Benny did too, I had to try and escape home and I got there, but real daddy got trapped and I couldn’t get the door open to save him.”

As Emma was talking Snow poured the hot chocolate into two mugs and sat beside Emma, handing her a mug, when Emma finished recanting her dream to Snow she wrapped her arm around her daughter. “Oh my baby. I’m sorry that sounds really scary, but I promise you that you’re safe, and daddy’s okay too, he’s just missing all of us, and he’ll be home tomorrow, the monster isn’t real and hasn’t got him.” 

Emma leant her head against her mom as she spoke. She sipped the hot chocolate finding it comforting, it made her think of the home she and Mary Margaret had in the loft when her mom didn’t know who she was, but also of this new home she was part of. “But… we live in a town of stories.” 

Snow hesitated, she supposed villains and witches and the like being real would make nightmares a lot scarier, and probably even scarier for Emma who hadn’t grown up with them being the norm. “That’s true… but I promise that the Coraline movie isn’t real or here, and even if they decided to visit I would be able to protect all of our family, I have a bow and arrow, remember?” She kissed her crown.

“Oh yeah… you’re good at that.” 

 

* * *

 

 

When the Snow finished her drink she realised that Emma was just nursing an empty mug trying to avoid going to bed. Snow took the mug off of her and put it into the dishwasher instead. “It’s time for bed.”

“I’m not tired, I’ll just watch a movie, you can go to bed.” 

Snow levelled her with a look. “Oh sweetie, that only works on your daddy, you need your sleep. Come on.” 

She led her up the stairs instead of going straight into Emma’s bedroom Snow went into her own, up to her husband’s side of the bed, into his bedside table drawer. 

“What’s that?” Emma tilted her head to the side. 

Snow didn’t say anything as she led her back to her own bedroom. She set a candle down on Emma’s bedside table and lit it. “Lay down sweetie.” 

Emma reluctantly led down, she stared up at Snow, who smiled gently at her before lying down next to her. “Why’s there a candle? I have a lamp.” She mumbled sleepily.

“Well, when your daddy was little his mommy, your grandma Ruth, would light a candle for him to chase away the nightmares. I know that it’s hard daddy not being with us tonight, but I’ve always found that candles help me feel closer to him, and they help me to sleep.” 

Emma snuggled into her side in response. When Snow started to quietly sing she found her eyes fluttering shut. Until she felt Snow move to stand up. “No, can you, can you stay? Just for a little while.” 

“Of course I can.” Snow said without hesitation. 

  
  


* * *

 

 

 

It was because of that Snow found herself being woken up early in the morning, in her daughter’s bed, being kissed awake. “David!” She managed to keep her voice at a whisper despite the excitement. 

“Hey beautiful.” He smiled down at her, noting how Emma was clinging to her, and Snow’s arm protectively wrapped around her. “What happened?” 

“Emma had a nightmare, I gave her some hot chocolate and I remembered the candle trick you always did when we were in the Enchanted Forest, and for the boys when they were little.”

David noticed a burnt out candle on the bedside and smiled to himself. “You get some more sleep, you could both do with it, I’ll spend a bit of time with the boys.” He ducked his head down and kissed Emma’s forehead before kissing his wife. “I love and missed you.”

“I love and missed you more.” She assured him. “And Coraline is banned in this house.” She let her eyes closed slowly falling back asleep.

David frowned not understanding it but he could ask later, for now he was just glad he was back home with his family.  

  
  



	4. The Topper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma insists on helping find the tree topper

David was going to turn grey early, it was a thought which had occurred to him often since Emma had come home, but it was one which was firmly in his mind from the moment that they had cut the Christmas tree down (mostly because he and Snow had to stop her from trying to use the axe) but that seemed easy compared to trying to get her to stay downstairs and not help them get the ornaments from the attic. 

It was partially as they had hidden some of the kids’ Christmas presents upstairs, they were well hidden but their kids were experts at snooping, but mostly it was because they didn’t want Emma to break the ornaments by trying to carry them down the narrow attic ladder. 

“Emma, please, just stay there.” Snow gave Emma her ‘mom look’ which was normally enough to deter her, but Emma had been excitable, hyper even, the entire day… and it was only 11am. 

“Jake gets to help!” Emma whined.

David let out a small sigh, she had been saying that a lot recently, but when Emma acted the same age as Benjamin it wasn’t any surprise that they were slightly more protective over her. “Emma, listen to your mother.” Snow shot him a look and he realised that the standard reply wasn’t going to help much. “Em, Benny, why don’t you two try and find a movie for us to watch later? We’ll just carry these boxes down and then we can all decorate together. Okay?” He smiled encouragingly at his two youngest (well technically not but practically they were). 

Emma pouted and opened her mouth to whine about it but Ben took hold of her hand and started to drag her down the stairs. 

Snow and David shared a look, relieved that Emma’s brothers often took control of her, it meant they didn’t have to fight every little thing. 

With two of their kids away from the attic Snow and David, along with the help of Jake, moved a lot quicker, pulling down the many boxes of decorations from the attics and carried them down the stairs. 

Emma was sulking on the couch as she watched box after box being brought down, Benjamin was at her side trying to get her to help him choose the movie. 

Snow walked over and crouched in front of her daughter. “Honey, are you going to stop sulking and help us decorate?” 

Emma bit her lip, she could tell that she was being a little babyish, and that her mom’s voice was a warning to cut it out. “Okay.” She said quietly, her eyes darting up to her mom’s to see how mad she was. But Snow wasn’t mad, she kissed Emma’s forehead and helped her stand up. 

It was all going so well, all five of the Charmings were having fun, the boys were explaining to Emma all of their family traditions, and the family decorated for both Christmas and Hanukkah…. It was going  _ so so well _ …. Until David and Snow realised they had left the topper in the attic, it wasn’t a big deal they would get it later, but Emma decided that after her sulking she would rectify her childish actions by finding it for them. 

It wasn’t a big deal really, well she wasn’t too keen on the dark attic with all the boxes monsters could be hiding in, she grabbed the box and raced as fast as she could down the ladder…. 

David and Snow heard a crash and dropped the ornaments in her hands and raced up the stairs, taking in the fact that Emma wasn’t downstairs with them. As soon as they found out she was okay they were going to kill her. 

 

Emma was led on the floor silent tears streaming down her face, the box still clutched in her arms, she looked up at Snow and David who were suddenly beside her. “I’m okay.” 

“Emma!” Snow shook her head and helped her daughter sit up. As soon as Emma was righted Snow examined her head trying to check for a concussion. “What are you doing? Daddy and I told you you’re not allowed upstairs in the attic, it’s dangerous.” 

“I’m okay.” She tried to insist again, but it came out even weaker this time, and the tears were fighting to no longer silent and she sniffled as she tried to keep control over them. 

David shared a look with his wife, they had been joking that Benjamin was becoming more responsible than Emma, it seemed that perhaps that was no longer just a joke. They were going to have to keep an even closer eye on her. “Emma, you need to tell me and mommy if anything hurts, okay?” She shook her head and he gave a gentle sigh. “Kiddo, we need to know, you’re not going to be in trouble, we should have been watching you.” 

Emma was planning on protesting that she didn’t need watching, but instead she whimpered and held up her arm. “It hurts.” She was pulled into a side hug from her mom as David started to prod at it. “Ow daddy!” she pulled it away from him as he tried to get her to wiggle her fingers.

“Is Emmy’s arm broken?” Ben asked Snow excitedly, he was constantly wanting to break a bone after one of his friends had broken theirs and had gotten a cast.

“Does she need to go to hospital again?” Jake sounded a little more worried, it would be the third time in as many weeks. 

“No I don’t!” Emma protested looking betrayed at the suggestion alone. But Snow and David were staying quiet. She tilted her head back to look at them. 

David and Snow were having a silent conversation, eventually David nodded. 

“Daddy’s going to run you to the ER quickly honey.” Snow kissed the side of Emma’s head. 

“But-!”

“Honey we need to make sure that you’ve not broken it, when you’re back home we can all watch a christmas movie, all of us together, okay?” 

Yet again Emma heard her mother’s tone, this wasn’t up for argument, she wished she had just let David or Snow get the tree topper. She could be downstairs right now stealing chocolate and candy canes from the tree before they could be hung up.

  
  


**3 Hours Later.**

 

 

“We’re home!” David called as he shut the front door, locking the cold out, he shepherded Emma into the living room where Snow and the boys were.

Emma was a daddy’s girl, but she rushed over to her mom who was sat on the couch and buried herself into her side. 

“Hey honey.” She soothed wrapping her arm around her. She looked at David, worried at how quiet Emma was acting. 

“It’s just a bad sprain, the doctor gave her some medicine, she became rather cuddly.” David tried to keep the smile off of his face but it was clear that they both found it adorable, even when she had whined about it the whole time that they were driving home and David wasn’t cuddling her. “I think she wanted mommy.” he mouthed at her, not wanting to embarrass her too much. 

Snow smiled and pulled her daughter closer. She didn’t want her daughter to be hurt but she loved it when her daughter decided to be cuddly, especially as the snow outside began to fall. 

“Hey Em, look your bandage is a festive one!” 

Emma frowned looking down at the bandage on her wrist. “It’s just white.”

“Yeah,” Jake said still smiling, “but loads of winter things are white, like snow, and the menorah candles, the lights on the tree, even the star topper.” 

Emma followed Jacob’s pointing finger and sure enough on the top of the tree was a slightly bent star topper, lit up in warm white lights. A small smile appeared on Emma’s face. Her other brother squeezed beside her, she figured she should move over so he could cuddle Snow as he was younger, but Snow just cuddled her closer and Benjamin didn’t try to push her out of the way, instead he passed her some chocolate and a candy cane. 

“Don’t tell mommy, I sneaked them.” The five year old shared a smile with his sister as he tried to make her feel better. 

Snow pretended not to notice as Emma snacked on the treats, it was sweet to see the boys trying to cheer their sister up. 

“I thought we all needed some of this.” David smiled carrying a tray into the room, with five mugs of hot chocolate and a plate of gingerbread. He handed them out dropping a kiss onto the top of Emma’s blonde hair as he passed Emma’s mug to Snow. “No more going up to the attic, hm?” 

Emma nodded her head. 

“And more listening to me and mommy, and doing as you’re told?” 

Emma pulled a face that wasn’t about to happen, she’d pretend to think about it though. 

“I’ll help you with yours.” Snow winced, the last thing they needed was Emma spending the rest of the day in the ER this time because she was burnt. 

Emma didn’t even bother to protest. Instead she curled tighter into her mom’s side so she was half on her lap, David and the boys squeezed onto the couch with them.

“What movie are we watching Benny?” 

“I found a new one!” Ben started to chatter excitedly as Jake took the remote control and pressed play on Klaus. 

For the first time that day both Snow and David were able to relax, and they weren’t about to let Emma out of their sights.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I havent updated for aggggges, so I thought I would try to give you all a holiday gift


	5. First Hanukkah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma celebrates her first Hanukkah party with her family.

Snow White Charming was as stressed as she had been for a while. She was prone to becoming stressed, especially over things such as the big Hanukkah party she was throwing for her family and friends to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. 

Technically the party had already started, there was food out on tables in the living room and the dining room she had already bought or cooked herself, but she was stood making even more, just incase, and cleaning up the kitchen so it was spotless, despite the fact that no one would be seeing it. She loved throwing parties, it just took a little while for her to relax and to stop stressing about the small things.

David had been welcoming all their guests but had kept coming back into the kitchen to try and coax her out to join the party. 

So when he entered the kitchen again she threw her hands up in surrender. “Okay okay, I give in. I was just doing extra latkes, we’ll need them, trust me.” But when she walked to the island to pick the tray up she realised David was looking worried. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Emma’s still in her room, she has been for hours, I’ve checked on her she’s there,” He added quickly knowing that would be her main worry, “I think she might need her mommy to give her a pep talk.” 

Snow left the kitchen without hesitation.

 

* * *

 

Emma was sat on her bed, having changed into the jeggings Snow had laid out for her but she was still wearing her pyjama shirt. Snow took a seat on Emma’s bed. She watched Emma for a couple of minutes before deciding that her daughter wasn’t about to speak first. “You want to talk to me about why you’re hiding out in here? There’s lots of food and games and presents downstairs, I know they’re your favourite things, it must be something pretty big to keep you from them.” She asked softly. “Are you feeling sick?” She shook her head, she shook it again when Snow asked if it was because there was too many people around, and again when Snow asked if Emma was worried about being herself around people she didn’t know as well or if she was worried she would have to act older than she normally did.    
That was when it dawned on Snow.    
“It’s the first time you’re celebrating Hanukkah with us, as a family, we didn’t even celebrate it when I was cursed.” Snow frowned. 

Emma gave a small nod though it was already clear from how she sank into herself that it was correct.

“Have you ever celebrated Hanukkah? Before you came to Storybrooke?”

“I’ve never… I’ve never done this whole Hanukkah thing, I got Jakey and Benny to tell me things about it but we only ever did like generic holiday parties in children’s homes, or some like super religious Christmases at different foster family’s homes, but…” She trailed off and shook her head before looking back down at the baby blanket in her lap.

“I’ve been worried too, you know?” Apparently it hadn’t been as obvious as Snow had believed it was as Emma looked up in surprise. “This is the first party we’ve thrown since you’ve been home, I wanted it to be perfect, I was so worried that I forgot to have fun myself.” She paused. “Perhaps we should stop worrying about what could go wrong and instead have fun and enjoy being together with our family and friends? If we don’t like it, or if it’s too much for you, you can come and find me and me and you can grab a plate of food and go and watch a movie in my and daddy’s room, just the two of us.” She pushed a strand of blonde hair out of Emma’s face and behind her ear. “What do you say?” 

Emma thought for a second before extending one of her hands with the pinky finger out. “Deal.” 

It took Snow only seconds to realise what Emma was doing, it was a sight she often saw around the school children she taught, not really the actions she’d expect from most twenty eight year olds, but this was Emma, which made the fact she was wanting to pinky promise make a lot more sense. It was adorable, and Snow made a note to tell David about it later, and maybe Regina and Ruby so long as they didn’t bring it up to Emma.

“Deal.” She shook. She helped Emma out of her pyjama shirt and into the woollen sweater Snow had bought specially, she was extra careful pulling it over the bandage on her wrist, then she fussed making sure that it was straight and that it was comfortable for her.

 

* * *

The two left Emma’s bedroom, Emma holding onto her mother’s hand as they walked downstairs to join the rest of their friends and family, at first Emma stuck to her mom’s side, but eventually she found herself with her brothers playing Mario Kart with them and Regina and Neal’s two youngest sons, stopping only to grab plates full of sufganiyot and latkes, play dreidel, and to open presents from their family and friends. 

 

* * *

 

When the party was finally over Snow and David allowed their kids to stay up a little later to watch a movie together.

Snow carried through yet another empty plate to the kitchen where David was washing up. 

“It seems everything was a success, my love.”

Snow’s already present smile spread wider. “I told you we’d need those extra latkes.” She smirked, she walked behind her husband and leant up on her tiptoes to kiss his left shoulder, where long since scars were healed. 

“How could I ever have doubted you?” He playfully rolled his eyes.

She let out a small laugh before tugging his arm to pull him away from the sink and the washing up. “Leave that a minute, come look at our babies.” 

David could never say no to that, he dropped the pink washing up gloves onto the side of the sink and took her hand, they crept to the doorway and took in the sight of their three clearly very tired children, all curled up together in the matching Hanukkah pyjamas Jacob was in the middle, he was the most awake and interested in the movie, while both Ben and Emma were stubbornly fighting sleep but were both subtly sucking on their thumbs while they thought no one would notice. 

Snow took out her phone and snapped a picture, she couldn’t resist, then leant against her husband’s side to just watch their children, the party clean up could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as tonight (30th) was the last night of Hanukkah I decided to write a little something, as I always see them as a mixed faith family - technically I missed the 30th by 2 hours but I tried. Also I am not Jewish but tried my best to research Hanukkah, I hope I've done an okay job.  
> Happy Hanukkah if you celebrate it!


	6. The present of the present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma doesn't believe in Santa Claus but that wont stop him, and Emma has a Christmas lesson to learn, a choice to make

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently I can only write christmas fics weeks after its over... whoops
> 
> Happy new year to you all!

 

Snow and David had kept the kids up later than they usually were allowed, Emma included though they tried not to let her know that she had a bedtime, in the hopes that they would sleep until the morning. Ben had been first to bed, the six year old had been almost hyper with excitement, chattering about how Santa would soon be there, he had been the one who had been waiting the whole day to be able to leave out the special plate for Santa and his reindeer. 

Jake used to be as excited, if not more so, but he was ten now and doubt had crept into his mind, he pretended to believe for Emma and Ben, but it was clear to his parents he knew that Santa was not real, secretly he hoped that he was real though, as many children and adults did. He happily went to bed choosing to read until he fell asleep. 

Emma was the last child ushered into bed, and the one which broke Snow and David’s heart the most, even more than Jake losing his belief. Emma didn’t believe at all. It was so bizarre to see as they had started to joke that her and Ben were twins, troublesome twins that was, they got into trouble together, and played together, and Emma often acted as though she was the same age, which they didn’t mind, in fact they quite liked it, they liked that she got to have a childhood with them. 

It was sad to see that despite living in a world full of magic Emma didn’t believe in the magic of Christmas.

“You’ll have to get loads of sleep Emmy.” Snow pulled Emma’s blankets up over her tucking her in. 

David made sure that Emma’s lamp was switched on beside her bed, he smiled down at his daughter. “Yeah, I’m sure santa will leave you loads of gifts, you’ll need your energy to play with them all.”

Emma shot him a look to show she didn’t believe it. “I’m not a baby.” She whined. 

David opened his mouth to argue that she may not be a baby but she was practically a child.

“You’re  _ our _ baby.” Snow interrupted before he could. 

Emma let out a small sigh but wiggled further under her duvet and blankets. “Night mommy, night daddy.” She shut her eyes and felt them both press kisses to her forehead, and heard them wish her goodnight on their way out of her room.

Emma stayed in bed for an hour, listening to the sounds of her home, the sounds she had gotten used to like David taking a shower and Snow telling Jake to put down his book and go to bed. 

Eventually Emma heard her parents go to their room and she decided to take action. She snuck out of her bed and went downstairs to the perfectly decorated living room, she led down on the couch in wait, if Santa showed up she would see him and know for certain.

 

* * *

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * *

 

She was just about to shut her eyes when a man appeared. 

She quickly jumped up. Who was he? A burglar coming to steal Christmas presents? One of the villains her parents warned her about?

Before she could let out a noise she stopped herself. The man was dressed almost entirely in red velvet, apart from white fur cuffs, and black boots tracking snow across the rug, he had a sack over his shoulder, and his hair and beard was long and white. 

“It can’t be… you don’t exist!” She let out in an angry whisper, she didn’t want to wake her parents and be in trouble for sneaking out of bed.  

“Emma Charming, I think we both know that isn’t true.” There was a twinkle in his eye as he looked at her, his voice low and warm, and knowing. He paused. “Though I heard that you didn’t write me a letter this year...” He frowned at her as though she was a particularly puzzling rubix cube.

“I’m not a little kid.” 

He gave her a doubtful look. “That’s not the Christmas spirit, no matter how old you are at Christmas you’re meant to embrace joy, remember being a kid again.” He paused again and before Emma could argue he added. “I think you need to learn a little something. Come with me.”

Emma frowned. “Aren’t you a little busy? It’s christmas eve you should be delivering presents, it’s not the right time for ‘ _ teaching lessons _ ’.”

“Emma Ruth Charming, it’s christmas, when better a time is there?” 

Emma didn’t know what possessed her to nod her head, but it happened anyway. He held out his arm and she took it, the next thing she knew they were both on the roof of her house. In front of them an intricately carved wooden sleigh which Emma knew her father’s friend Kristoff would be envious of, in front of it was eight reindeer. 

Her mouth fell open in shock, how could some old guy get a sleigh and reindeer onto their roof? There was an obvious answer for it, of course,  _ magic _ . The man, Santa Claus, gestured towards the seat of the sleigh. Emma bit her lip then climbed aboard. 

Santa took a seat beside her. 

“On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer, and Vixen, on Comet, on Donner, and Blitzen!” He called. 

Emma was pushed back in her seat as the reindeer took up to the sky,  _ fast _ . 

It took a few minutes for her to become used to the fast flying, and another couple for her to peek over the edge of the sleigh. 

The United Realms looked beautiful far beneath them, castles and temples and a fairy groves were all lit up, twinkling lights miles below, as the residents across the realms celebrated different things. 

* * *

When Santa finally brought them down to the ground they were outside what Emma recognised as a Boston townhouse, that didn’t make sense, she was almost certain that there wasn’t an alternative Boston in the United Realms. 

“What is this place?” She asked Santa slowly, she didn’t take her eyes off of the house, there was something familiar about it…

“It was your first home.” 

As soon as he said it Emma felt a rush of memories flood back to her, memories she should have been too young to remember, but she remembered them now. It was the first home she remembered having, with the family she thought she would always live with. 

She followed Santa numbly as he walked through the door, she didn’t know what they were going to say when they were inevitably caught breaking into the house. She didn’t think they would buy the whole ‘Santa told me to’ excuse, and she knew David wouldn’t be happy that she’d ended up in Boston and that he would have to come and bail her out of jail, and Snow would ground her for life when they eventually made it home.

The house smelled familiar, mixed with smells it took her a moment to place, there was the smell of a ham being cooked, along with different food, gingerbread, the smell of cinnamon mixed among it, it made her feel suddenly homesick, she wanted her mom, she wanted her mom to hug her and tell her it was all a bad dream and give her a mug of hot chocolate and cinnamon, and insist she stay close to her.

There were footsteps, running, and Emma become frozen to her spot. Two children, a boy and a girl around Jake’s age, both with mousy hair and goofy grins ran into the house, they should have run straight into Emma, but they ran straight through as though she wasn’t there. 

She turned to Santa to ask what he had done, was this magic? Was she a ghost? But her words fell out of her mind as the children called “Grandpa!”

The man they talked to looked familiar, as though she was looking through a funhouse mirror, but it took her only seconds to place him, despite the years that had passed. 

This was the man who she had once called Dada. His dark hair was now grey, some parts were white, and his hairline had receded and his hair thinned. His stomach which had once been large and comfortable to her was even larger now, his shirt was straining, tucked into slacks.

A woman just as old appeared next to him, she was wearing an apron, and Emma could just about make out the grey flaking her dyed blonde hair, it was perfectly straight, and her clothes impeccable neat. Her lipstick was a shade too pink, and the blush on her cheeks a shade too bright, but it was definitely her, Emma was just old enough to realise that the pink didn’t really suit her. This was the woman who had been her Mama she was never as warm or cuddly as he had been, but the wild children still ran to her, and she wrapped them into a hug which was just a few moments too short.

“Are they? That’s not really them, they shouldn’t be this old.” 

“This is them in the year 2019, in the world you grew up in.” That made a little more sense, if she had really been in this moment she would have been nearly forty.

Two couples walked past her and Santa Claus. 

“Ma, Merry Christmas!” The woman sang. 

A man who was too similar in looks to be anything but her twin, was holding a toddler in his arms, he clapped the older man on the back. “Hey pops.” 

This should have been hers. Her family. Her life. Had the woman and man not come along. “They had twins?”

Santa nodded. Emma realised for the first time that he wasn’t smiling, he looked sad, but not for himself, for her. “They were fostering you, they had just begun the process to adopt you, then they had found themselves expecting the twins they thought they would never be able to bare.” 

Emma felt a bitter taste in the back of her throat, for all she had lost, but also because this place had been the place she had always associated with the word ‘home’ but it didn’t feel like it had ever been. It was a stranger’s house. 

She felt as though she was a street kid peering into the window, and wishing that she could have that, she did now of course, but she still felt as though she was the orphan girl. 

“Let us go.” Santa murmured. 

Emma was relieved to follow him, it gave her the chance to hide the tears which were blurring her vision. 

* * *

The next stop was also a place she had once known, only this time Emma was there, and it was not 2019, it was years in the past. 

It was a group home, one Emma had spent a few months in, it hadn’t been too bad really, the care workers had tried their best, and the other kids were civil with her, or left her alone entirely which was what she preferred. 

She followed Santa through the slush like snow into the Home. Emma knew exactly where she would be as soon as she caught sight of the year on a calendar. But she let him lead the way into the living room. 

Seven year old Emma was on the couch, with a book and a reading light, it was half way through and Emma remembered how long it had taken her to read that far, thanks to her dyslexia and ADHD, she knew Jake could have finished it within an hour. 

“I stayed awake.” She said quietly, remembering. 

“I couldn’t make it to your world, there is not enough magic.” His voice was apologetic and soothing. “This is when you stopped believing in magic.” 

Emma would have argued that she had stopped later, when she was ten maybe eleven,but he said it so matter of factly that Emma could tell that it must be true. 

They stayed there silently watching as seven year old Emma slowly fell to sleep.

Emma bit her lip as she watched. She suddenly felt very alone, the wish to be home intensified when with the physical reminder of her lonesome childhood.

Santa moved forward and tugged a throw off the back of the couch and tucked it around little Emma. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small box wrapped in scarlet wrapping paper with a perfect ribbon tied around it in the exact same shade as the paper. He placed it beside Emma’s head. 

Emma hadn’t received that present, then suddenly she had! It was a walkman which she used constantly, up until she lost it when she ended up in prison. 

* * *

Emma was getting used to travelling by Santa’s sleigh, and ending up in places which were familiar to her. 

The apartment was rundown, the lights were off and Emma knew that the electric didn’t work, and there was a rhythmic tapping which Emma knew was the ceiling dripping as the roof leaked. This was the apartment Emma had crashed in before Henry had found her. It was empty and lonely,  and Emma was constantly ill from living somewhere she could never get warm. 

She saw herself lying on the couch, one of the few pieces of furniture in the apartment, she was shivering. But what struck her most was how guarded she looked, compared to how free she had been feeling, how happy and easy things were with her family where she didn’t have to worry about anything. 

This time Santa reached into his jacket and pulled out another jacket, a leather one the same shade of red as his own jacket. Emma already knew that inside the pocket was $70, she had spent the money on gas for her car and some food, enough until she had gotten to Storybrooke and her mom, the Mary Margaret version. 

“You left it?” She asked him in surprise. “I thought, I thought that someone else had left it, someone else who had crashed here, I just took it… It was really you?” 

“You did find it on Christmas morning, didn’t you?” His lips quirked behind his moustache in amusement. “It’s not really in the Tooth Fairy’s parameters.”

Emma’s mouth fell open. It was hard to believe but after all that she had seen that night she couldn’t stop herself from believing in the man. 

 

She wanted to go to more places, both in her past and around the world, maybe she could help him deliver presents, but she could feel her eyes growing heavy. 

 

He ushered her out of the apartment and back into the sleigh. 

“Can we go to more places?” 

“The night is growing old,” he told her softly, “and I have many more visits tonight. And you have a choice to make.” 

“A choice?” She frowned. “I don’t understand.” 

“You will. One more flying visit.” 

* * *

It turned out that he literally meant a flying visit. They flew low over Storybrooke, and Emma heard her own voice, along with that of her brothers’. 

It was Christmas Eve, mere hours ago, and her and her family was walking back from a Christmas Eve party at Granny’s, she, Jake, and Ben were trailing behind their parents Emma kept stopping and forming snowballs to throw at her brothers starting minutes snowball fights, from where they were hovering in the sleigh she could see her parents walking arm in arm, giant smiles frozen upon their faces. 

“Which one of the twins is causing the trouble?” Snow laughed. 

David glanced back then at his wife. “Which one do you think?” He laughed. His blue tinged lips pressed against her equally cold ones. “I’m on it.” He said anticipating the worry in her eyes before it had even appeared. He darted back and enticed Emma into a piggy back ride home, while the boys settled for holding Snow’s hands. 

Emma in the sleigh was smiling as much as the Emma being given the piggyback who was chattering to her father. She finally felt at home, nearly. Much more so than while watching the other scenes that night.

She frowned as the sleigh left her family and began to fly again.

* * *

They ended up at her home, Emma didn’t need to look at a clock or a calendar or to ask Santa to know that they were back to when they had left. 

Santa led the way upstairs, past Ben’s bedroom, past Jake’s, and past her empty bedroom, he led her into her parents’ room, and he placed his suddenly heavy looking sack onto the floor. 

Emma stared at her sleeping parents for a moment before looking back at Santa. “What was the lesson? The choice? I don’t understand.” She admitted. 

“Your choice is this.” He held out two almost identical presents, the same wrapping paper as the walkman had been wrapped in, the only difference between the two was one had a gold bow while the other had a green one. 

He didn’t say anything else but for some reason Emma knew what he meant. 

She lifted her hand to about a foot in front of the first present. 

The one with the green bow felt the same way she had while they were in her first foster home, it was something to do with the past, full of doubt, full of fear, alone. 

She moved her hand to hover in front of the other. 

She realised what the choices meant. 

She could hold onto the past, forcing herself to try and act how she thought she should be instead of what her parents were always encouraging her to do and embrace herself, she could always feel at least a little like a lost girl. 

Or she could embrace herself and the future. She could live in the moment. She could allow herself to act however she felt even if that meant being seen as her youngest brother’s ‘twin’. She could believe in all the magic she wanted to without even believing in the idea that she might be let down or disappointed, she could trust that magic would happen and her parents would look after her. 

A small smile appeared on her face and began to spread. 

“Good choice.” Santa praised and Emma knew he was also telling her that she had learnt the lesson he had been trying to teach her; To embrace her future and herself. 

“Do you have to go?” She asked him sounding small and sad. 

He smiled at her softly. “I have more lessons I need to teach, Emma Charming, and you need to be asleep or I will not be able to deliver your presents.”

She looked at the present with the gold bow he was still holding, the one with her past in seemed to have disappeared, she watched him place it on the ottomon at the end of her parents' bed. 

“But… I didn’t write you a letter.” She frowned suddenly feeling bad that unlike her brother she had refused to, hell even Jake had written one. 

Santa Claus looked at her his eyes sparkling. “I have a fairly good idea of what you need. Just remember to write me one next year.” 

“I promise.” She made a cross motion over her heart. 

“Sleep now.” He said lowly. 

Her body suddenly felt heavy, her eyes dry and aching, as though he had just blown sleeping sand at her. She looked at the open door then at her parents’ bed. 

She climbed up onto the bed and crawled to the head, she shimmied down under the covers, in between her mother and father. 

She watched with hooded eyes as Santa Claus placed three stocking on the ottomon, then three identical teddies, one for each her and her brothers 

She tried to stay awake but it was becoming nearly impossible. “Merry Christmas.” She mumbled as her eyes finally closed. 

“Merry Christmas Emma.” Santa Claus replied, but Emma was already asleep.

 

* * *

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* * *

 

Snow and David crept past the kids’ bedrooms, their arms full with bags and bags of the Christmas presents they had been hiding in their room for months, they walked into the living room carrying them, ready to play tetris with the presents so that they would fit as many as they could into the sacks which had already been placed in the living room. They knew they had spoilt their kids but that was what they had been waiting to do since they had been kids themselves 

“Let’s do Jacob’s first.” Snow said knowing that their oldest son had the smallest presents (in size not value). 

“Shh Snow!” David whispered suddenly. 

Snow came to a stop and looked around ready to attack or defend as needed. 

Her eyes landed on Emma curled up on the couch, she relaxed and a smile grew on her face. “She tried to wait for Santa.” She whispered finally to her husband who was smiling just as much. 

“She believes more than she claims to.” David placed the presents he was holding onto the floor and the armchair closest to him. He walked over to his daughter and carefully picked her up. “Her bed or ours?” He asked his wife. 

Emma had slept in their bed only a couple of times, when she had been sick, she had seemed to like being in there with them and had ended up cuddled up to them, but he didn’t want to put her there if Snow thought that Emma might be uncomfortable.

“Ours. We don’t want her sneaking down to open presents from Santa before the rest of us wake up in the morning.” She smiled knowing that Jake used to do the same when he was younger and Ben did now.

David grinned thinking the same. He carried her upstairs making sure not to jostle her, when he got to their room he placed her in the center of their big bed and tucked blankets around her, he was certain that when Snow and himself returned to their bed she would end up cuddling up to him as she had the past couple of times. 

Snow had followed behind him, ducking into Emma’s room to pick up her baby blanket she waited for David to tuck Emma under the covers before she tucked the baby blanket in with her. “Let’s put these here.” She whispered to her husband. She placed three red stockings and three identical teddies on the ottoman at the end of their bed, that way when the boys woke they could open so presents in there before Snow and David would be forced to leave their bed. 

The two left and went back downstairs to place presents in sacks and to make the plate of milk and cookies seem as though Santa had taken a few bites, and a reindeer size bite from the carrot. 

When they returned to their bed they didn’t notice the added red present on the ottoman. 

  
  


* * *

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* * *

 

The next morning the boys burst into Snow and David’s bedroom long before the sun rose, just as Emma was waking. 

“Santa’s been!” They called jumping on the bed, waking Snow and David.

“Wow yeah they have.” David yawned counting down the seconds until he could drink some coffee. 

Snow was slightly more of a morning person and she sat up smiling at her daughter and sons. “I think he left you all some presents in here.” She pointed at the ottomon with one hand and brushed sleep from her eyes with the other one. She glanced at her daughter and was relieved to see that Emma didn’t look doubtful, she looked as happy as her brothers, Snow shared a look with David, they both grinned knowing that Emma believed in Santa.

The kids were more than happy to unwrap their stocking fillers and start to nibble on chocolate. 

“There’s a present there.” Jake pointed to the present on the ottoman. “It says it’s for you guys.” He picked it up and passed it to his parents. 

“Who…?” Snow said quietly. 

“It’s from Santa.” 

David and Snow looked at their daughter in surprise. “Is it?” Snow asked her softly, not wanting to break the spell of belief. 

“Yeah, I met him last night, I chose that one for you, I don’t know what the other present was. And I got to go in his sleigh and meet the reindeer.” 

And just like that she and her brothers started to excitedly chatter, Emma telling them all about her journey, while Snow and David read the gift tag, it said it was for them but no name of who it was from, and they weren’t familiar with the writing. 

They opened it up and came face to face with a simple watch, styled young like one Ben owned, they read another letter which was tucked inside the box with the watch, it said it was to help Emma blend in with her ‘twin’ for when they needed it so she wouldn’t feel self conscious - that it would magically change her to seem like the age she was acting.

“Must be Regina.” David mumbled quietly to his wife, his fingers brushing over the watch in awe, knowing it would help make things a little easier at least. 

Snow nodded, her eyes watering at the watch, in as much awe as her husband was, it must be from Regina… after all who else could it be from? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have one more sort of new years oneshot to write but after that I'll be free to write any prompts - so please comment them in a review or message me on tumblr - loboselinaistrash.tumblr.com/ask

**Author's Note:**

> Please send prompts to me, through comments or through my Tumblr loboselinaistrash


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